A group from The Mill in Los Angeles’ 3D team headed to Las Vegas where they attended an intensive workshop hosted by AnatomyTools to expand their craft in 2D and 3D modeling. During the course, the artists – Krystal Sae Eua, VFX Modeling & Texturing Lead; Ed Boldero, VFX Lead Artist; and Fabian Elmers, Lead Rigger – studied under Andrew Cawrse, one of the most sought-after anatomy instructors in both the medical and digital mediums.

Andrew Cawrse broke the workshop into three parts, each meant to push the artists’ understanding and build upon their knowledge. The first level set the foundation that introduced the artist to the primitive shapes of muscles and how the muscles are divided. The second level was centered around building an anatomically correct sculpture. In the third level, the instructors brought in Cirque du Soleil models that the artist replicated in two final sculptures.

Ed explains, “I want to learn up to the level where I can recreate the poses from scratch. I know it well enough that I could start with a blank paper or a pile of clay, and I can take it to a point where I’d have a figure that is anatomically correct…I think I would like an understanding to take it to the point that creates the structure on the outside…It’s learning functional, practical artistry and how to take this knowledge that you have learned and how to apply it to the actual medium of sculpting.”

Krystal says, “I want to be able to use my imagination to create something, and have it be correct. I need to know what’s there, so I can put it there. Level 3 that [Andrew] teaches is even more advanced in that it takes you to another place where he wants you to get into the mindset of your art and what that means…Learning the language of art, instead of learning these foundations. For me, with all the different avenues in 3D, I am focused on modeling. So, modeling is really about form more than anything and this helps train my eye.”

Ed felt that “the most challenging part was probably learning, retaining, and recalling all the information so quickly…It’s intensive. So I think it was trying to train your brain to take in everything you are being taught, tie it to things you have been taught before, and then apply it to your hands.”

Learn more about AnatomyTools and its workshops by visiting AnatomyTools.com. Thanks to Anatomy Tools Managing Director Grace Fua for the images!